Niarchos vegai, Platnick & Duperre, 2010

Platnick, Norman I. & Dupérré, Nadine, 2010, The Andean Goblin Spiders Of The New Genera Niarchos And Scaphios (Araneae, Oonopidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2010 (345), pp. 1-120 : 52

Niarchos vegai , new species Figures 361–385

TYPE: Female holotype taken from litter at an elevation of 410 m at the Jatun Sacha Biological Station , 1u03957.50S, 77u37900.20W, Napo, Ecuador (Dec. 1–5, 2009; L. Benavides, Niarchos Exped. ), deposited in QCAZ (PBI_OON 445) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a patronym in honor of Mauricio Vega, in recognition of his enormous contributions to the organization and success of the Niarchos Expedition.

DIAGNOSIS: Males and females have not been taken together, but are here tentatively paired on the basis of geography and the similarities of both sexes to those of the preceding three species. Males closely resemble those of N. ramirezi and N. bonaldoi , but the embolus is distally thicker than in either of those species (figs. 369–375) and the anterior projection on the endites is smaller and more medially directed (fig. 368). Females have heavily sclerotized apodemes readily visible in ventral view (figs. 384, 385).

MALE (PBI_OON 415, figs. 361–375): Total length 1.10. Posterior eye row recurved from above; PLE-PME separated by less than PME radius. Sternum surface smooth. Endites with anterior processes small, heavily sclerotized only near tip, tip directed posteriorly. Leg spination: tibiae IV v0-0- 1p. Embolus long, straight, distally widened (figs. 369–375).

FEMALE (PBI_OON 445, figs. 376–385): Total length 1.56. PME separated by their radius to diameter, PLE-PME separated by PME radius to PME diameter. Sternum surface finely reticulate. Leg spination: tibiae: III v0-0-1p; IV v0-1p-2. Posterior margin of anterior receptaculum outlined by heavily sclerotized apodemes visible in ventral view (figs. 384, 385).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: Ecuador: Napo: Sacha Wagra Lodge, Río Hollín, 10 km from Archidona , 0u579180S, 77u44951.30W, Nov. 29, 2009, Berlese, litter from moist forest with karst rocks, elev. 750 m (M. Ramírez, C. Grismado, M. Izquierdo, F. Labarque, Niarchos Exped., MACN PBI _OON 441), 1 -; Sacha Wagra Lodge, Río Hollín , 0u579180S, 77u449510W, Nov. 29, 2009, litter, elev. 665 m ( Niarchos Exped., QCAZ PBI _OON 415), 1 -.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Napo province, Ecuador.

Figures

Figs. 361–375. Niarchos vegai, new species, male. 361. Habitus, dorsal view. 362. Same, ventral view. 363. Same, lateral view. 364. Carapace, dorsal view. 365. Habitus, anterior view. 366. Carapace, lateral view. 367. Epigastric region, ventral view. 368. Sternum and mouthparts, ventral view. 369. Embolus, posteroventral view. 370. Palp, prolateral view. 371. Same, ventral view. 372. Same, retrolateral view. 373. Embolus, prolateral view. 374. Tip of palp, prolateral view. 375. Same, detail.

Figs. 376–385. Niarchos vegai, new species, female. 376. Habitus, dorsal view. 377. Same, ventral view. 378. Carapace, dorsal view. 379. Sternum and mouthparts, ventral view. 380. Habitus, lateral view. 381. Same, anterior view. 382. Carapace, lateral view. 383. Epigastric region, ventral view. 384. Genitalia, ventral view. 385. Same, dorsal view.